Switchgrass cultivar EG1102

Abstract

A switchgrass cultivar designated EG1102 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of switchgrass cultivar EG1102, to the plants of switchgrass EG1102, to plant parts of switchgrass cultivar EG1102 and to methods for producing a switchgrass plant produced by crossing switchgrass cultivar EG1102 with itself or with another switchgrass variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a switchgrass plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic switchgrass plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to switchgrass cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from switchgrass variety EG1102, to methods for producing other switchgrass cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from switchgrass cultivar EG1102 and to the switchgrass plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid switchgrass seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar EG1102 with another switchgrass cultivar.

1. A seed of switchgrass cultivar EG1102, representative sample of seed of said cultivar was deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-9364. 
     
     
       2. A switchgrass plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       3. Pollen of the plant of  claim 2 . 
     
     
       4. Progeny of the plant of  claim 2 , said progeny having all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of switchgrass cultivar EG1102. 
     
     
       5. A switchgrass plant, wherein at least one ancestor of said switchgrass plant is the switchgrass plant of  claim 2 , and wherein said switchgrass plant possesses all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of switchgrass cultivar EG1102. 
     
     
       6. A tissue culture produced from protoplasts or cells from the plant of  claim 2 . 
     
     
       7. The tissue culture of  claim 6 , wherein said cells or protoplasts of the tissue culture are produced from a plant part selected from the group consisting of leaf, pollen, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl, meristematic cell, root, root tip, pistil, anther, flower, shoot, stem, and leaf sheath. 
     
     
       8. A switchgrass plant regenerated from the tissue culture of  claim 6  wherein the plant has all of the morphological and physiological characteristics of cultivar EG1102. 
     
     
       9. A switchgrass plant regenerated from the tissue culture of  claim 6 , wherein the plant has all of the composition and conversion characteristics of cultivar EG1102. 
     
     
       10. A method for producing a switchgrass seed comprising crossing two switchgrass plants and harvesting the resultant switchgrass seed, wherein at least one switchgrass plant is the switchgrass plant of  claim 2 . 
     
     
       11. A switchgrass seed produced by the method of  claim 10 . 
     
     
       12. A switchgrass plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing said seed of  claim 11 . 
     
     
       13. A method of producing a transgenic plant, comprising introducing into a cell of the plant of  claim 2  an exogenous nucleic acid molecule, said exogenous nucleic acid molecule comprising a regulatory region and a coding region, wherein said regulatory and coding regions are operably linked, and wherein said coding region encodes a polypeptide with an amino acid sequence that alters a plant characteristic as compared to a control plant that does not comprise said exogenous nucleic acid molecule. 
     
     
       14. A method of producing a mutant plant, comprising contacting the plant of  claim 2  or a part thereof with a mutagen and selecting for plants having at least one new or altered trait. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the new or altered trait selected for is herbicide resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, increased biomass, sterility or partial sterility, increased self-compatibility, plant metabolism, nitrogen use efficiency, increased stress tolerance, yield, stand establishment, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, flowering time, tolerance to low light, seed dormancy and/or germination, plant growth and/or plant structure, modified content of cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, or sugars in plant tissues. 
     
     
       16. A switchgrass plant produced by the method of  claim 13 . 
     
     
       17. A method of introducing a desired trait into switchgrass cultivar EG1102, wherein the method comprises:
 (a) crossing an EG1102 plant, wherein a representative sample of seed was deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-9364, with a plant of another switchgrass cultivar or wild type that comprises a desired trait to produce progeny plants; 
 (b) selecting one or more progeny plants that have the desired trait to produce selected progeny plants; 
 (c) crossing the selected progeny plants with the EG1102 plants to produce backcross progeny plants; 
 (d) selecting for backcross progeny plants that have the desired trait and all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of switchgrass cultivar EG1102; and 
 (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times in succession to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny plants that comprise the desired trait and all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of switchgrass cultivar EG1102. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the desired trait is a phenotypic trait, a gene, or a molecular marker. 
     
     
       19. A switchgrass plant produced by the method of  claim 17 , wherein the plant has the desired trait. 
     
     
       20. The switchgrass plant of  claim 19 , wherein the desired trait is selected from the group consisting of herbicide resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, increased biomass, sterility or partial sterility, increased self-compatibility, plant metabolism, nitrogen use efficiency, increased stress tolerance, yield, stand establishment, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, flowering time, tolerance to low light, seed dormancy and/or germination, plant growth and/or plant structure, modified content of cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, and sugars in plant tissues. 
     
     
       21. The switchgrass plant  claim 19 , wherein the desired trait is insect resistance and the insect resistance is conferred by a transgene encoding a  Bacillus thuringiensis  endotoxin. 
     
     
       22. The switchgrass plant of  claim 19 , wherein the desired trait is herbicide resistance and the herbicide resistance is conferred by a transgene encoding a bar gene that confers resistance to bialaphos. 
     
     
       23. The switchgrass plant of  claim 19 , wherein the desired trait is herbicide resistance and the herbicide resistance is conferred by a transgene encoding a gene that confers resistance to glyphosate. 
     
     
       24. A method of making a switchgrass population, comprising:
 (a) crossing two or more switchgrass varieties to make a synthetic population, wherein at least one of said switchgrass varieties is EG1102; and 
 (b) selecting progeny of said cross that have altered disease resistance, pest resistance, plant metabolism, herbicide resistance, yield, plant growth and/or plant structure, sterility, biomass, stand establishment, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, flowering time, stress tolerance, tolerance to low light, nitrogen use efficiency, seed dormancy and/or germination, altered sugar content, altered lignin content, altered cellulose and/or hemicellulose content, or altered biomass to fuel conversion properties, said progeny constituting said switchgrass population. 
 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the characteristic altered by the polypeptide is herbicide resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, increased biomass, sterility or partial sterility, increased self-compatibility, plant metabolism, nitrogen use efficiency, increased stress tolerance, yield, stand establishment, drought tolerance, cold tolerance, flowering time, tolerance to low light, seed dormancy and/or germination, plant growth and/or plant structure, modified content of cellulose, lignin, hemicellulose, or sugars in plant tissues.